Terminal Diagnosis

Terminal Diagnosis Chpter 12

" Lesley you can get better again you've done it before... Now I don't want to hear that you want to give up" Jessie replied

" Jessie please I don't want to hurt you or upset you.... You've always been more of a mother to me than a friend or colleague... This time I think it's time that we face the one fact that Dr Richards said.... The cancer is spreading quicker than we expected and this time treatment isn't changing it... Please don't try to talk me out of this.... Jessie I just want to make the best of the time I ha-have left with the family I love...”  Lesley reached for Jessie's hand in spite of the pain and from how weak she started to become.

" Lesley I am gonna be there when you need me to be but what you're asking me to do, you're asking me to say goodbye to you and I can't promise that I would be able to handle that especially.... Especially when you're the only closest one to being the daughter I have left..." Jessie had to take a moment to collect herself and calm down

Now Lesley had reached for Jessie's hand again “ Jessie... I'm gonna put up a fight you know I won't give up without a good fight...” 

Lesley layed down to rest on the couch shortly before Rick had gotten home but Jessie made no effort to get ready to go home after the recent conversation with Lesley and what Lesley admitted of what she wanted to do.

" How is she feeling?" Rick asked quietly

" She seems to be okay... I gave her anti nausea medication and I gave her some pain medication." Jessie replied 

" Jessie Lesley will be okay I will see to it" Rick gave Jessie a hug and helped her get her coat before she left to head home.

After Jessie headed home for the night, Rick carried Lesley carefully up to bed so she could sleep easily but made no effort to leave her side for the rest of the night. 

Over the following week Lesley and Jessie were waiting for her to be seen by Dr Richards as usual and than later in for her treatment even though she knew Rick still doesn't know what's going on

" Jessie i'm okay.... Could you maybe find out from Claudia if she would like to meet us for lunch...?" Lesley turned towards Jessie

" Sure... Should I ask Rick if he would like to join?" Jessie replied

" No I think it should be a girl's time out later though I think it's time that I tell him about..." Lesley started and stopped..

" I'm proud of you Lesley because I know it's gonna be the hardest thing that you will have to tell him... Just like it's the hardest thing as a mother to see you have to go through this.." Jessie hugged Lesley before stepping out to make a few calls.

Lesley and Jessie sat in with Dr. Richards during her appointment as usual before eventually Jessie was to take Lesley home.

" The Consulting Oncology Specialist is gonna want to evaluate within the next week or so to determine whether you can continue Chemo and radiation. So far it seems to be responding however, based on the aggression is where it will be determined on whether treatment would no longer be an option for you." Dr Richards explained

" You said that I'm responding to the Chemo, wouldn't that mean that treatment could still work?" Lesley asked

" Theoretically speaking we would like to think so but in your case and where the masses are located, Lesley we can't operate to remove anything even if we were to have detected this at stage 1 or 2 I wouldn't be able to operate because of the location. I'm sorry Lesley." 

" But doing the radiation and the Chemotherapy, that is responsive and it's working." Lesley said 

" For the time being, yes you have started to respond with the Chemo."